The call has gone out for eventprofs to share case studies that demonstrate how event businesses have pivoted during the pandemic for a new report. The Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP) is set to launch its upcoming ‘The Shape of Events to Come,’ report in June. It is seeking contribution in the way of survey respondents and case studies from event businesses to provide an overview of the pandemic’s impact on the events sector. Data collected for the report will inform the sector on what it needs to do in the short term to stay on the road to recovery and the support it requires to do this. The report will also identify how the sector can ultimately build back better in the longer term and the opportunities and challenges along the way. BVEP chair Simon Hughes said: “We need to understand the impact of the pandemic on the sector, identify the plans that the industry has, what changes have emerged due to the pandemic, what might shape policy and the future role of events in a global Britain through the use of events as part of its soft power to grow domestic and international opportunities.” “Case studies that demonstrate the future of events will be very welcome as we look to the emergence of a new vision for events. To build back better, there has never been a more important time for increased collaboration and representation across the industry to influence future policy. “This study should provide evidence to underpin the sector’s importance as part of the government’s future priority economic sectors.” In order to create a clear picture of the future of the business events sector, the survey distributed to event professionals will focus on factors such as the supply chain, the increased use of online, broadcast and hybrid events, loss of talent, development of skills, use of government support packages, impact on the visitor economy in urban and rural economies and the changing nature of meetings and events. Data for the study has been pledged by BVEP Partners, VisitBritain, various national and regional destination management organisations, DCMS, BEIS and several universities, such as Bournemouth, with event management programmes in their curriculum. The report is being prepared by Richard Smith of Team Tourism with support from John Gallery, chairman of the BVEP research group. You can take the survey here.
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
